


In Every Memory

by bearbaitbrook



Series: On Every Page [3]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Office, Editor Betty Cooper, Editor Jughead Jones, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:13:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27449185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearbaitbrook/pseuds/bearbaitbrook
Summary: "What the hell is going on here?" Jughead demanded. Ethel's face paled."Um, Jughead I was just… I was just…""You were just suggesting to Betty that she earned her promotion with means other than her own merit and work ethic," Jughead finished for her.Or, Jughead walks in on Ethel making some hurtful accusations towards Betty and he is having none of it. How the office of On Every Page finds out about Jughead and Betty's relationship.
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Series: On Every Page [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993057
Comments: 8
Kudos: 87





	In Every Memory

**Author's Note:**

> A continuation of "On Every Page," and "On Every Date." I recommend that you read the previous works prior to this one.

"You, Elizabeth Cooper, are nothing but a common office slut. No morals, no qualms about sleeping with whoever you want to get it. How many other people besides Jughead have you fucked to get this promotion? Trev? Kevin?" Ethel Muggs was on a rampage.

This was the scene Jughead Jones entered after an early afternoon meeting at On Every Page's other branch downtown. His secret girlfriend of eight months, Betty Cooper, recently promoted to a lead editor spot was surrounded in a circle of their colleagues, joined in the circle only by Ethel Muggs, the woman management passed over for the promotion in favor of Betty.

"You know I'm gay, right?" Kevin Keller butted in, nervously glancing Betty's direction. 

"Dilton?" Ethel continued, ignoring Kevin. "How many? How many Betty?"

"Ethel, you know Betty earned that editing promotion fair and square, right?" Kevin replied. "She's worked really hard!"

"No one else ever had a chance," Ethel Muggs scoffed. "That's what happens when you fuck your boss to get ahead."

Betty's hands were clenched into tight balls, and Jughead knew that her fingernails were piercing her palms. She was shaking and her face was pale, but she remained quiet, silently taking every insult Ethel was hurling her way. Her eyes met his and she gave a small shake of her head - a shake that clearly said 'leave it,' and 'I'm fine,' and 'maybe this will blow over and we can keep this a secret for a while longer.'

But truthfully, he could care less if their relationship remained a secret, and he certainly wasn't about to let Betty sacrifice herself as the office pariah just to help keep their relationship quiet for a few more months.

***

_ After their first, successful date, Jughead spent the night at Betty's. It was innocent, mostly, aside from the several times that Betty had ended up straddling his lap, lips firmly attached to his while their hands roamed across each other's torsos. They had talked for hours about everything under the sun, falling asleep together on her couch in the early hours of the morning, a randomly picked title from Netflix playing softly in the background. Jughead vaguely remembered waking up in the middle of the night, unable to remember where he was or why he was on the couch, until he heard a soft sigh from the blond angel spooned against his chest, and all of the memories from the night before had come flooding back with a smile. 'This is nice,' he had thought to himself, drifting back to the edges of sleep. 'I could do this more often.' _

_ She had invited him to stay for breakfast the next morning, and then confessed that she was ok with him sticking around longer… that she wanted him to stick around for longer. He had been only too happy to oblige, and so after a quick pit stop at his apartment to change clothes from the night before, they had spent the day exploring the city together.  _

_ Their routines had quickly evolved to fit around each other - after work they would text for hours at a time, often falling asleep on the phone together - and he usually ended up at her apartment for at least a few hours several evenings a week. _

_ Neither one of them had broached the topic of what they were quickly becoming to each other, both of them a bit afraid of what it would mean for their work situation - while it wasn't against the company's HR policies, they knew that there would be hoops that they would have to jump through… and people certainly would talk, especially about Betty. They had a good thing going, but they knew that the real world would come crashing into their bubble before too long; they wanted to keep this sweet and uncomplicated for as long as possible.  _

_ But the conversation couldn't be avoided one night, just over a month into their relationship - however you would define it - after Jughead had returned from a week-long business trip to find Betty with a rather large bandage plastered to her hand. _

_ He had been gone for a week on a visit to the Seattle office and he missed her more than he could have possibly imagined. He missed holding her in his arms, missed the feeling of waking up next to her when they would inevitably fall asleep accidentally after talking through the night, missed the way that her lips fit perfectly against his - like a puzzle piece that, until recently, he didn't even realize existed - missed the way she would sigh her name as he gently pushed his body into hers, both of them, once again, feeling whole together in a way that they had never imagined possible. Yes, they had texted everyday and they had talked on the phone twice since he'd been gone, but he missed her regardless. And something had felt… off with her - her texts began much more periodic at the halfway point in the week and she sounded exhausted on the phone. He had asked if she was ok and she had brushed it off, mentioning vaguely that she hadn't slept well the night before and then asked about his day. _

_ He tried to push the worry to the back of his mind. There were plenty of reasons why she could be texting less frequently - they weren't attached at the hip, after all. They weren't technically attached, period, in any way, shape, or form. Still, the minute the plane had touched down at JFK, he was headed towards her apartment, bag in hand, before even stopping at his place for a fresh change of clothes. He was excited to see his girlfriend. 'No, not your girlfriend,' he reminded himself as the subway approached his final destination. 'We haven't had that conversation yet.' _

_ "Jug! You're back!" Betty exclaimed when she opened the door. She looked thrilled to see him, and the worry Jughead had felt faded a bit. _

_ "Fuck, I missed you," he breathed as he leaned in and kissed her. It had been a week since he had kissed her, which was one week too long as far as he was concerned. _

_ "I missed you too," she said shyly, reaching up to gently caress his face, only to stop as she realized which hand she was using.  _

_ "Hey, what happened?" Jughead asked. He grabbed her hand and examined the bandage, wracking his mind to remember if she had mentioned some kind of accident. _

_ "Well…" _

_ "Betty, what happened?" he repeated. She definitely hadn't told him about this. _

_ "I was making dinner a few days ago and V came over without telling me and she just walked in like she normally does but it startled me and I cut myself pretty deeply. I ended up needing 3 stitches. It's been kind of a pain getting stuff done the past few days because of the bandage but the doctor said I could take it off tomorrow." She shrugged as if to say 'not a big deal.' _

_ Except it was a big deal to him - because she hadn't told him about it during their nightly text conversations or when he had called her. Her more frequent silences in the latter half of the week did make more sense, though. _

_ "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "If I would have known about this, I would have come back to help you!" _

_ "Why would you want me to tell you? You shouldn't have to cut your work trip short because of me!" _

_ "Because you're me girlfriend, Betts! I want you to tell me these things!"  Girlfriend  slipped out before he could stop himself. "Err… umm… I mean…" _

_ "Jug, what are you saying?" Betty asked slowly. _

_ "I'm saying that I would like to be able to call you, Betty Cooper, my girlfriend, if that's alright with you?" _

_ "Only if I get to day that you, Jughead Jones, are my boyfriend." _

_ They grinned at each other like idiots for a minute before Jughead pulled her close for a searing kiss that soon had them tugging eagerly at each other's clothes in their haste to reveal as much skin as possible. _

_ "Bedroom?" _

_ "Bedroom." _

_ Much later, after they'd lost themselves in each other -multiple times- and after Jughead had heated up leftovers for them and washed up without letting her lift a finger - "Really, Jug, I can help! I've been doing it all week!" "Yeah, and you shouldn't have had to, so let me help now!" - Jughead laid contentedly in Betty's bed, idly tracing patterns on the arm of the s tshirt she had commandeered as her own. _

_ "We should probably talk about the elephant in the room…" he said slowly. He wasn't excited, but they had just taken their relationship to a new level, in more ways than one, so it was definitely time. It probably should have been done sooner. _

_ "You're probably right," she sighed. "Let's go talk to Midge, Monday morning." _

_ "What would you think…" he trailed off, hesitant to finish his thought. _

_ "What, Jug?" _

_ "What would you think of us keeping it just between us and Midge at work? I've heard the ways that people like Ethel talked about you when you and I started being more friendly together. I heard the rumors about the type of person they tried to paint you as. I don't want you to be subjected to that, especially since we know I'd, unfortunately, get off Scot free." _

_ "I think…. That that's a good idea. I want to get where I get based in my hard work and I don't really want people thinking that I cheated the system." _

_ So that's what they did - they told Midge about their relationship, and she shuffled Betty so that she was now under the direct supervision - at least in terms of anything related to promotions or disciplinary measures - of Josie McCoy, the other head editor in their department, and that was that.  _

***

Until today.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jughead demanded. Ethel's face paled.

"Um, Jughead I was just… I was just…"

"You were just suggesting to Betty that she earned her promotion with means other than her own merit and work ethic," Jughead finished for her.

***

_ Rumors began swirling around Betty not long after Jughead and Betty officially decided their relationship status. _

_ "So what's up with you and Jughead?" Kevin Keller, office gossip and one of Betty's best friends, had asked her not even a week after they had approached Midge to make their relationship official with HR. _

_ "What's up with me and Jughead?" Betty had asked, confused. "We're friends - why?" _

_ "Honey, just friends don't look at each other the way you and Jughead look at each other." _

_ "Kevin, that is clearly just your over-active imagination at work. When was the last time you went on a date?" _

_ "Tragically long ago." _

_ "Well then, there you go. You're projecting." And Kevin had shrugged and walked away. Jughead had been listening in on the entire conversation, entirely by accident at first, but with increasing interest. He caught Betty's eye and winked at her playfully, and she blushed before turning away quickly. _

_ Not all of the talk was as innocent, though. A few weeks later, rumors began swirling that Betty was sleeping her way through upper management, including Jughead, trying to get ahead. She had ran out of the office at the end of the day on more than one occasion, trying and failing to keep the tears at bay, and she cried bitterly into his chest when he managed to catch up with her, covertly of course, a few blocks away. _

_ Only he saw how much these rumors truly hurt her. By the next day, she had built a facade of stone for herself, protection against the vindictive words flung at her day after day. But in the evenings, when it was just the two of them, the wall would come tumbling down and she would vent all of her frustrations and hurt. _

_ These rumors were a vicious pattern but he was powerless to stop it, by her specific request. "Just leave it, Jug," she pleaded with him. "If you say anything, it's just going to make it worse for me. If we ignore it, it will stop eventually." _

***

And it had stopped for a while. Apparently not permanently, though.

"I'm not blind Jughead!" Ethel snapped ferociously. "I saw you two together, months ago, at Central Park! I know that you two are sleeping together!"

Jughead, unfortunately, knew exactly which day Ethel was referring to - he and Betty had only gone to Central Park a handful of times, most of them more recently, preferring instead to visit New York City's less crowded spaces when they went out. That was the day that he, once again, had almost blown it with Betty.

***

_ He had been cold and hungry, and she had been tired and anxious, with fresh marks dug into her palms from her nails, just having returned from a visit home to her mother. They were both out of sorts and rather snippy with each other and soon a small comment, something he can't even recall now, turned into a big thing. He only remembers bits and pieces - namely saying "I'm not one of your projects, Betty!" and "I'm weird, I'm a weirdo," (not one of his finer moments) -but he remembers what happened after. _

_ She stopped and took a deep breath, a serious look on her face, and Jughead's heart had dripped, absolutely convinced that this was it. She was breaking up with him. _

_ Except, instead, she said, "Jughead, don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely furious at you. But I also know that I want to talk it out and fix it more than anything… which is how I know that… I love you. You don't have to say it if you aren't rea…" _

_ Before she could finish her sentence, Jughead's lips were on hers, arms wrapped tightly around her, kissing her like he needed her to breathe. _

_ "I love you, Betty Cooper," he replied. "And I'm sorry for what I said. I had no right." _

_ "I'm sorry, too. I'm on edge right now and I was taking it out on you, which wasn't ok." _

_ "Let's go back to your place and get into comfy clothes and get something to eat and then we can talk." _

_ And they did. They talked a lot… and then moved on to showing each other how much they loved each other. _

***

"Ethel, we're just friends!" Betty cried out, snapping Jughead back to the present. "You're being ridiculous!"

"No, Betty, I think it's time they all know. I've heard the rumors that have been going around about you, and it ends. Now." Jughead looked at Betty, a look that screamed 'Please, let me do this,' and 'do you trust me?' She nodded her head slowly.

He closed the space between him and Betty and grabbed her hand. "Betty and I are together. We've been together for eight months. HR knows about it and has known about it the entire time. Josie McCoy has direct oversight over managing Betty's job performance and any promotions she receives, not me. Betty approached Josie about the promotion and it was ultimately Josie who gave it to her. She has earned this position fairly and by her own merit. Is that understood?" 

The room was deathly silent, save for a few awkward shuffles. 

"Crystal," Ethel said icily, shooting daggers at the couple in front of her. 

"Now, I know that it is a bit early, but I think it would be best if everyone went home early and we all started out fresh tomorrow." People began milling around the room, packing up their belongings for the day while Jughead grabbed Betty's hand and dragged her towards her desk.

"Jug, just leave it," she said as Jughead tried to pack her laptop with shaking hands. He was clearly furious. "I don't need it tonight anyway. Come on, let's go home."

He let Betty lead him first to his office to grab a few of his things, and then out of the building and to the subway, clearly leading the way towards her apartment. He spent more nights at her place than he did his own anymore and most of his clothes had shifted over to her place anyway, so there was no need to go anywhere else.

"What happened?" Jughead asked the moment they crossed Betty's threshold. She sighed and kicked off her shoes before leading him over to the couch. Pushing him down, she crawled into his lap and buried her face in his neck, breathing him in deeply for a minute. Then she pulled away.

"Midge came to my desk to congratulate me for the promotion not long after you left today, and Kevin overheard and well… you know how fast Kevin can circulate gossip around the office. Ethel found out and laid into me."

"I'm so sorry this happened, baby."

"Jug, I knew it was going to happen someday. I was actually surprised it didn't happen sooner. I mean, you do realize that Ethel is in love with you, right? She liked me on my first day and hasn't liked me since - not since she saw the way that we look at each other. Anyone with a pair of eyes and some common sense can see that we are more than just friends. And then I got the promotion over her, so I got the job she wanted and the man she wanted. It doesn't give her any right to do what she did… but I think I understand, at least a little."

"You are too good for this world, Betty Cooper. I don't know why the universe decided to drop you into my life, but I am so lucky it did." He dropped a kiss to her temple and then grabbed her hands and examined them. She had broken the skin, although not as badly as she had the few times she had gone to visit her mother since they'd been together.

"C'mon, let's get these cleaned up."

He pulled her into the bathroom and sat her on the ledge of the bathtub. She winced as he disinfected and bandaged them, and he knew it wasn't just because she was in pain. Grasping her hands gently, he brought each one up to his lips in turn, pressing a soft kiss to the palm.

"I love you. And I wish that it had turned out differently… but I'm glad that the whole world finally knows that you are mine, and I am yours."

"Jughead Jones, I love you too. Thank you for defending me today."

"Anytime, baby."

They opted to curl up in her bed together, even though the night was still young, eating Chinese takeout from paper containers before wrapping their arms around each other to the sounds of some TV show or another playing softly on the TV in front of them. Her head rested on his chest and his arms cradled her, hoping to provide some of the comfort and safety that Ethel had stripped away earlier that day.

They were still less than a year into their relationship - way too soon to be thinking this far into the future. But with Betty in his arms, Jughead had visions of a not too distant future - of Betty moving down the aisle, towards him, wearing white, of Betty's stomach swollen with his child, of him cradling a little girl with Betty's blond hair and his eyes - and everything was right with the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact, my husband and I first told each other "I love you," in the middle of our first major fight, and it went down pretty much the same way Betty and Jughead's did here. When you know, you know :) Hope you enjoyed! I love comments and kudos, so please keep them coming!


End file.
